Don't Cite Wikipedia as a Source

Just don't do it.
   
For casual curiosity, Wikipedia's a great resource. I can spend hours looking up my favorite foods and cuisines on Wikipedia and always feel like I've come away with some new knowledge. For formal, academic writing, however, Wikipedia is not so great.
   
The reason for this is simple: Wikipedia is an open-source, user-edited resource. Technically, anyone can edit a Wikipedia page. The information you find there isn't necessarily written or checked by experts in the field, and there aren't enough experts to constantly police every single article to catch mistakes--or deliberate misinformation--when they appear. My favorite Wikipedia story has to do with the entry on butter. For several hours one day, this line appeared on the "Butter" page: "Butter is also used to rub on Kyle's belly."
   
Crazy, right?
   
Most teachers are aware of Wikipedia's weaknesses and won't accept it as a credible research source.
   
What Wikipedia can be good for, however, is giving you a start on your real research. If you look at a Wikipedia entry, you'll see links within the text leading you down to sources listed at the bottom of the page. These sources, used to verify the information in the Wikipedia entry, are generally more credible than Wikipedia itself. Follow those links, and you may come up with better research.